PHOENIX -- It was the quintessential patient Paul Goldschmidt at-bat, the type that Arizona fans became plenty accustomed to over the years. After all, they saw thousands of them when the slugging first baseman was wearing the D-backs’ Sedona Red from 2011-18. 

Lay off three pitches outside the strike zone. Wait out the next two, both strikes, while in pursuit of a mistake offering from his opponent. Then, connect with a high 3-2 fastball ... and send it well up the left-field bleachers at Chase Field for a first-inning solo home run. 

In some ways, it was like Goldschmidt had never left. He held court with nearly two dozen members of the local media before Friday’s game, received a raucous standing ovation from the crowd when he stepped to the plate in the first and drove in two runs to help power his team to a 5-1 victory. Only now, he’s thriving in Cardinal red -- and producing even better results than ever before.

This weekend’s three-game series between St. Louis and Arizona marks Goldschmidt’s third time back here since he was traded to the Cards in December 2018, as the team made previous trips to the desert in ‘19 and ‘21. Each time, the 34-year-old has seen fewer former teammates in the opposing dugout.

“It’s a little bit more normal now,” Goldschmidt said. “That first time, it was cool to kind of do that, and a lot of people were here. But man, their team’s completely different.” 

Still, Goldschmidt arrived early Friday to reconnect with D-backs and ballpark employees who have remained friends. And he clearly still enjoys hitting at Chase Field, too.

Goldschmidt homered in each of his first two games as a visitor here on Sept. 23 and 24, 2019. Then, he went deep off Arizona rookie left-hander Tommy Henry on Friday, a no-doubt home run that left Goldschmidt’s bat at 104.3 mph and traveled a projected 416 feet, per Statcast. 

It was Goldschmidt’s 30th home run of the season, the seventh time in his career he’s reached that mark. He’s the first Cardinals player with back-to-back 30-homer seasons since Albert Pujols, who swatted more than that in each of his first 11 big league seasons from 2001-11.

Not only did Goldschmidt go deep, but he jump-started a four-run seventh with an RBI single, finished 3-for-4 and flashed the Gold Glove-caliber defense that he’s always brought at first base with several nice plays. 

“Having a guy like that out on defense and at the plate is incredible,” said St. Louis starter Miles Mikolas, who allowed one run on two hits and one walk over eight dominant innings.

With how well Goldschmidt played during his time with the D-backs -- as well as over his first three seasons with the Cardinals -- it’s almost hard to fathom that this year, his 12th in the big leagues, may end up as his best yet. But the National League MVP front-runner is putting up huge numbers, and he’s especially feasting off left-handed pitching. 

Against lefties, Goldschmidt is batting an unreal .438/.533/.865. But he’s no slouch against righties, either (a .312/.390/573 slash line). In total, he’s leading MLB in batting average (.339), on-base percentage (.421) and OPS (1.056) while ranking second in slugging percentage (.635), fourth in RBIs (96) and tied for fifth in homers. 

How’s he doing it? With the same humble, workmanlike attitude that took him from being an eighth-round pick in the 2009 MLB Draft to an All-Star in the big leagues. 

“For me, I just try to take it day by day, it’s no different,” Goldschmidt said. “I try to play well. When I do, enjoy it. When I don’t, still try to enjoy it and find out what adjustments I need to make. ... You’re always trying to get better. If not, everyone’s going to be catching up.”

Goldschmidt never wants to sing his own praises or discuss his stats, but St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol will gladly do it for him. He knows there may be nobody in baseball with a stronger approach for the grind of a 162-game season or who can better adapt to his competition. 

“The best way [Goldschmidt] can be described is consistent, and this guy’s routine is hard to match,” Marmol said. “It’s just every year, from prepping his body to [make] sure he stays healthy to his preparation with the pitchers and the bullpens and how he’s going to be attacked specifically and situationally. To take everything he does and then to keep it as simple as he does when the game starts is pretty impressive. ... 

“If you consistently just try to revert back to what gave you success, I think the game passes you. But when you’re constantly looking for ways to improve, then you’re able to extend that. And this is a guy that is completely comfortable seeking what’s next for him.” 

And what’s next for Goldschmidt in the near future may just be a deep postseason run in St. Louis and his first NL MVP Award to go with it.